Bulging disc

[Tink8607]

I have suspected bulging disc and piriformis syndrome. From previous posts I'm seeing alot of people say to walk walk walk, I cant walk with out my crutches. I'm so anxious that I will never get better I've been off work now for 8 weeks but in pain for 11. I don't know how I've done it. Please tell me it gets better, I really don't want injections or surgery I suffer with anxiety and this is just absolutely freaking me out. How long did it take you to recover? And is it possible to do without medical intervention?

I had 2 periods of bulging discs, both horrendously painful and both were debilitating and required months off work. I will always have a ‘bad back’ but I can manage it now by sitting/lying down when required. I can walk several miles and I have only occasional low level pain. Your issue will pass. When mine flares up I go my physio, though I know it can take time and trial to find the right person to deal with it. I do weekly pilates and most days I do some stretches and strengthening exercises.

Thankyou. It's miserable, and feels never ending. I'm seeing an osteopath once a week. He's refered for an mri. I'm doing my stretches that the physio gave me, I'm just worried that I can't walk with out crutches, and my leg is losing muscle mass rapidly. So you managed to get better without injections or surgery?

I spend over a year building core strength and though my back is still painful at times it’s never been anything like it was when it went initially.
I can exercise normally and lift weights and do anything I want to really. But you have to put the work in to get there. It took a lot of time consuming physio and strength work to do it

Did you have to wait fornthe pain and sciatica pain to go first before doing much exercise? I'm not sure what's causing the pain in my bum, if it's disc or the piriformis or possibly both. If I could just walk I would feel so much better. It's depressing.

I had bilateral sciatic pain down to my calves in both legs. The hospital gave me naproxen and also co codamol at different times to manage the pain. I continued to walk despite the pain and do the physio stretches as instructed. I was told I needed to get 15,000 steps a day.
Once the majority of the pain was resolved that’s when I started the core and strength work. I’d say it took a good year from onset to be completely pain free and even now I wake up stiff and sore every morning and have to stretch and move around to get going

Wow, both legs!! That must of been horrendous. I'm only taking paracetamol because of other health reason I can't take the strong stuff. Sorry you went through that. I'm hoping once I have the mri my anxiety will calm when it's confirmed what the osteopath suspects. I have a personal trainer ready I just need the sciatica pain to go and general pain to calm down. I started walking around the house with no crutches not a normal walk atall, my hip drops and my back leans backwards,but then I think I over done it and the sciatica came right back.

Hopefully it’ll calm down soon. It’s horrendous. My walking definitely wasn’t normal but they told me to keep moving. Even now if I sit too long I’ll seize up. I can’t have lay ins in bed anymore either. Movement is the only thing that stops it hurting

I have a herniated disc, which caused appalling sciatica - never been in so much pain (and I've been in labour!)

I found Pilates and swimming very useful initially. Slightly later on, the cross trainer in the gym enabled me to move without an impact to my feet - I still use that a lot.

I paid for private physio to get more sessions (had one a week for months). It was a lot of hard work but it's basically ok now (I still have to do exercises but it doesn't affect my day to day life as long as I do them.)

I had sciatica for a year and will always have a niggly back.

At the time I managed it with a Tens machine, heat, physio stretches daily (or twice daily) and pain killers at night

I had to keep moving - staying still or in one position was impossible and sitting was more uncomfortable.

I have to work hard at keeping it mobile - lots of core strength and mobility work (Tom Morrison on you tube is great)

I can relate to the fear - if it gets slightly niggly I get straight into working on it so it doesn't get worse

At the time I really thought it would never get better and was quite scared about it - but it did eventually

How long have you had the symptoms ? It is very typical that acute pain ( anything up to six weeks ) makes it difficult to do most things. Do you have an easing factor at all ? E.g heat or lying flat

The sciatic nerve for some runs directly next to the piriformis and for other people it can actually run through the piriformis. It is debated as to whether piriformis syndrome is actually a thing.

Unfortunately it sounds as though your pain isn't controlled and this means you will struggle to engage in the things to aid your recovery e.g physio. Have you spoken to the g.p r.e all medication options ?

Anxiety can also contribute to pain responses , have you trialed anything to try and improve your control of this ?

I'm seizing up too, I keep walking up and down the hallway. Really wanted to go back to bed this morning but knew it would make it worse.

How long did it take for the sciatica pain to stop? So many people have said to me about swimming but I wouldn't be able to get down the steps in to the pool, plus I would panic incase the sciatica pain kicked off and I couldn't swim.

That's a long time to have this God awful pain. I feel like it's been a life time though, the days just drag, I'm desperate to get back tonwork but until I can be off the crutches that's not happening any time soon. Reassuring hearing that you can get better without the injections or an operation, it's worrying me so bad.

Is there anyone who could go with you to help you into the pool? Another thing to ask about might be hydrotherapy - no idea what the criteria is but someone I know has had some on the NHS.

I was in really bad pain for about two or three months I think but not really better for a year. I was able to take heavier duty painkillers though. Are you able to try ibuprofen instead or paracetamol? If so, worth a try as I found it was the more effective OTC painkiller. I was on prescription stuff for a bit though.

The other, non pharmaceutical thing I found helpful for pain management was those deep heat patches you can get to stick on your skin. It's just heat but you can really get it onto the painful bit and I found that pretty effective.

I've had the symptoms for about 10 weeks, first three weeks I was on my feet at work, not knowing what was going on and hoped it would go away, until the sciatica pain locked my leg and I couldn't weight bare atall. I think scince being off and at home I may of been resting too much, I didn't realise I could be making it worse because nowni have lower back pain. I have spoken to my gp about pain meds but I'm limited because of acid issues which after a year have only become under control, plus I suspected crohns which I'm under investigation for so the dr was hesitant because the last thing I need it worsened constipation with pain. I'm managing on paracetamol and heat. I've been doing the stretches ok, until 3 days ago when the sciatica triggered again, I was managing to walk a little bit without crutches but It's triggered it again.

I had disc bulge in my neck and it also split open. It was horrific, I was mucked about by the NHS for so long, by the time I went private it had shrivelled away from the nerve. I didn't need surgery in the end, but if I'd been offered an injection I've taken it. My SIL had something similar and the injection didn't hurt and it gave her pain relief for months

Big hugs because this sort of pain is horrendous.

Thankyou, I'll mention the hydrotherapy to the physio on Monday. You pain time frame makes me feel a little better. My osteopath said he thinks I'm just going to be one of those people who is takes a while for. I've been seeing him for about 5 weeks and i kept saying I wasn't getting better, but now the pain had triggered again I now realise I actually was, I was doing things without noticing, like getting into bed with no pain, managing to hop around the kitchen to cook without crutches, so I was making some progress, also the physio stretches got easy. Hopfully this is just a blip and I'll start making some progress again. Unfortunately ibuprofen and naproxen absolutely destroy my stomach even though I'm on high dose omeprazole. I have the heat patches too, osteopath wants me to get a back support to help my spine.

Not taking effective pain relief will be stopping you for effective recovery exercises. If you need crutches to walk, you need much stronger pain relief, if not specialist nerve painkillers. Regular physio, not an osteopath, will help.
I've been through all this and physio and naproxen help, but the spinal injections were great but didn't last long sadly.

I have bulging discs and they completely 'go' every 5 years. It takes about 6-9 months to get back to walking without pain in my experience. But do get walking as far as you can, even if it's just 5 steps. Trying to be as upright as possible will help.

Avoid any exercise that isn't physio led too. You will hear so many people tell you all the things that worked for them but without someone who knows your actual body then it could make it all a lot worse.

O wow! Sorry to hear that, sounds bloody awful! I'm going private too, nhs waiting times aren't great at the moment. That's good that the injection worked for her, ive read some horror stories which hasn't helped my anxiety..I just hope I can manage to get better without any hospital visits.

Thankyou, I'm going to start walking more, ive been resting and trying to avoid the sciatica but I'm learning that's probably the wrong approach. I've also noticed I kinda slump when I'm standing still and I've started to correct this.

I hear you, ive been told all sorts and some exercises that I think if I tried would break me. I'll follow oestopath and physios advise for that. I just wanted to know people's experiences and if getting better is do able with out intervention. Also just to not feel quite so alone.

You may find that your local gym has a hydrotherapy pool as the referrals for hydro therapy are rare on the NHS - or there is a very long wait.

A local gym near me hires out their hydro pool to physios - so you pay for a session with a physio and then you pay for self exercise in the hydro pool ( a lot cheaper than a session with the physio and you don't need to be a member of the gym)

Hydro pools have a ramp so I manage on two crutches to get in and out.

I would also suggest that you ask about a muscle relaxant - something like baclofen. That stops the muscles from spasming and seizing up as much.

Hope you can make some progress

It is possible to get better without intervention- I think most people don’t have surgery for herniated discs. But it can take a long time.

My DH has had it twice. The first time he actually had surgery- but he pushed for that and wanted it. It went again earlier this year and 111 sent an ambulance because he couldn’t wee or feel anything in his groin or bum so they needed to check it wasn’t cauda equina which luckily it wasn’t. This time he hasn’t had surgery. Getting back to normal activities took a good few weeks (but he was on a LOT of hardcore painkillers so that enabled him to start walking without crutches sooner than you have been able to). We’re now 5 months on from the injury and he has started playing tennis again lately so is doing extremely well. I know he is very scared of it going again though.

I’ve heard acupuncture can be really helpful but no personal experience to share on that. Pilates is excellent for backs, but it sounds like you won’t be ready for that for a while. I think walking really is going to be the best thing for you at the moment, but obviously that’s difficult when you’re in so much pain. I get that your choices for painkillers are limited- have you tried a TENS machine? (Please note, I am not medically qualified so check with your physio or GP before starting anything new).

Thankyou that's very helpful. Did you have just a constant pain in your hip? I'm trying to work out if that's disc related or the piriformis issues.i need to get moving because my leg is just wasting away.

Watching the telly with one arm on the armrest slumped to one side is murder for sciatica and discs, try to avoid that, and, get one of those blue foam squares that they give elderly people to sit on if you can.